Page 14 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

They were now really and truly in the Alaskan wilderness. Although they’d passed a few homes in the past few miles, not a single car traveled the road with them. A huge cedar sign heralded their arrival at the woods as soon as they reached their destination. After stepping outside of the car, Grace sucked in a breath as the awesome sight of the mountains jumped out at her. The view was stunning, almost like something from a postcard. No doubt it would say something like, “Welcome to Love” over a photo of the spectacular mountain.

As she trailed behind Jasper, she looked around at her surroundings. Nothing but trees dusted in white, an abundance of snow at every turn and miles of forest. Everything looked the same. She was glad Jasper knew the route so well. When they reached a fork in the woods, Jasper abruptly turned right. As she fought to keep up with his pace, she couldn’t help but think he moved pretty spryly for a man in his seventies. After a ten-minute trek in the snow, Jasper stopped in his tracks and pointed to a cave. It had been partially covered with tree limbs, but there was a gap where a person could easily gain entrance.

Grace wrinkled her nose. She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea after all. “I-is it safe, Jasper? How do you know there aren’t any wild animals in there? Or spiders?”

“We don’t. That’s part of the adventure.”

Grace took a step backward

. Adventure was one thing. She’d already gotten up close and personal with Primrose. A de-scented skunk was as close as she was getting to wild animals. And she planned to run all the way back to town if she saw a single creepy crawling spider.

Jasper threw back his head and clutched his belly with laughter. “Just teasing you, Grace. The animals in these parts aren’t cave dwellers. And the bats only come out at night.”

Ewww. Bats?

At least it was only four o’clock or so. Surely she and Jasper wouldn’t be hanging out until it got dark. He was going to show her the area where he thought the gold might be buried. They’d be long gone by the time the bats came out to play.

Jasper walked into the cave and turned around to wave her in.

Grace caught up to Jasper and walked right behind him as he entered the cave. Once inside, she struggled to see the dark interior. Only a sliver of light trickled in from outside.

Jasper angled his flashlight toward the cave ceiling about twenty feet away. “That’s limestone back there. See right there where the roof is shimmering?”

Grace craned her neck to get a glimpse of the yellowish limestone. Jasper’s flashlight illuminated the area, showcasing an almost iridescent stone.

“Wow. It’s practically glowing.” Yellow or not, Grace felt that the odds of finding treasure in this immense cave were slim to none. Matter of fact, the whole legend was beginning to sound bogus.

“Let’s get a closer look,” Jasper suggested, just as he stumbled and went down like a ton of bricks. He landed with a thud.

“Jasper? Are you all right?” Grace’s cry seemed to bounce off the walls and echo in the silence.

“I’m fine. Just tripped over this rock. These eyes of mine aren’t as sharp as they used to be.”

“Let me help you up.” She bent over and grasped Jasper by the wrist. Gently, she pulled him up. Halfway, Jasper winced and cried out in pain. He sank back down to the cave floor.

“My ankle. I can’t seem to put any weight on it.”

“Why don’t I put my arm around you and help you walk.”

Jasper frowned. “Grace, I don’t think that’s going to work. I’d topple you over. I think it might be broken.”

She watched as Jasper grimaced and pulled down his sock. His ankle was red and swollen. There was no way he was walking anywhere on it. Their lighthearted adventure had suddenly turned serious. It would be getting dark outside soon due to the shorter days this time of year.

“I’m calling for help.” Grace bit her lip as she took out her phone from her pocket and looked for a signal on her phone. No reception! She looked around the cave, half expecting an answer to their dilemma to come out of nowhere.

“I can’t get any reception, Jasper. I think that I need to go get someone to help us.” With Jasper’s ankle out of commission and no cell service, their choices were pretty limited. Turning into a Popsicle out here in the wilderness wasn’t an option. There was no time to waste.

“This is all my fault. I’m so sorry our adventure turned out this way.” Jasper’s head hung down in a dejected fashion.

“Are you kidding me?” Grace said with a cheery smile and false bravado. “I always wanted to rescue someone. Now’s my opportunity.” Unless of course she fell into a snowy ravine or was eaten by a polar bear.

“Let me help you get oriented. When you head out of the cave go straight until you get to the fork. Take a left at the fork and keep walking until you see the tree with the twisted branches. Turn right at the tree and then head straight down the slope. You’ll run right into the area where my truck is parked. The keys are inside. Just take it nice and easy on the road if you can’t get a signal. There’s a house a few miles down the road by the entrance to the mountain.” Jasper began to rummage around in his side pocket. He pulled out a pair of mittens. “Take these. It will give you an extra layer of protection.”

Grace reached for the mittens and put them on over her own pair. “Will you be all right by yourself?” She hated leaving him all alone in this desolate cave.

“I’ll be fine. And I’m not by myself. God is by my side. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my savior.”

“I’ll be back in a flash,” she said, zipping up her coat all the way to her neck before she stepped outside the cave.

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